17 Season 1 Episode 17: Dark Horse

What do you do when your opponent, who's more powerful than you when it comes to cultivation, unleashes a fast and powerful move that you simply can't dodge? What do you do when you come to the realisation that even if you try to block the attack, you'll still end up injured and your energy drained, leaving you simply too powerless to take on the next attack?

Claude's eyes shone as it showed a cruel and cunning expression, and as the Sky Smashing Sword Technique got near, he used the Invisible Sword Technique once again.

The answer is simple; you don't block!

Boom!

The power that rushed forward from Claude's sword crashed against Colton's sword gleam and blazing lights erupted all over the place, and a shock wave swept everything up in a five metre radius, making it difficult for anyone to see clearly what was going on.

Grave silence surrounded the arena as everyone gazed at the martial arts field.

"Will he survive Colton Grey's attack once again? Or was the previous one just luck?"

Colton stared at the space in front of him, with his eyes narrowed. Although he was confident that his Sky Smashing Sword Technique was simply too powerful for Claude to handle, he couldn't help but feel uneasy.

"Look! He's still standing!" One of the outer disciples yelled out, and the whole crowd turned their attention to the spot he pointed. Soon, everyone was finally able to see the outcome of the attack clearly.

Claude stood in the middle of the martial arts field loftily, completely unscathed once again. His body looked as tall and erect as a pine tree.

The crowd was silent for a moment before exploding in a loud commotion. They couldn't help but cheer when they saw Claude standing still with not even a single injury.

It was a miracle!

"How on earth did he block senior Colton's attack?" One of the outer disciples blurted out.

"Ha ha ha! That's because you are looking at it from the wrong way, young man. He didn't block the attack!" One of the Academy Elders answered the outer disciple's question. When he spoke, a smile appeared on his lips.

He didn't block the attack? What did the elder mean by that? Did he evade the attack?

The spectators were all curious. Excitement shone on their faces. They wanted to know what the elder meant.

"The young man didn't block the attack. He diverted it!" The elder's voice was simple, straightforward.

Diverted it?

Although they were curious, most of them were excited.

The elder gazed at Claude before he said resolutely, "Although Claude Rayforth's Invisible Sword Technique is a powerful cultivation technique, it's a skill that is limited by cultivation levels. As a result, it wouldn't stand a chance against Colton Grey's Sky Smashing Sword Technique in a head on collision. And even if he somehow were able to deflect his attack, the entire process would've already consumed too much energy that he simply wouldn't be able to fight anymore."

"But Claude probably knew that, and so he decided to divert the route of the attack instead of a direct block. What he did was simply nudge Colton's attack using his Invisible Sword Technique, which diverted it from its original path and target. A nudge requires way less energy to execute, compared to a block. A fast moving attack like Sky Smashing Sword Technique requires just a simple touch to make a drastic change in direction. It's simply marvelous!" The Elder explained.

His words were very direct, and hearing this, everyone immediately understood what he meant.

The Elder took a deep breath before he added, "However, I wouldn't recommend executing such a move."

"May I ask why you think so, elder?" One of the outer disciple youths asked.

"The execution of such a technique is incredibly dangerous and risky. You have to pinpoint the exact spot of a fast moving attack in order to divert its route, all while utilising the bare minimum of energy, all in a matter of milliseconds. Too little force, and it simply wouldn't change its direction. Too much, and it's the same as a block. If your calculations are even a little bit off, it simply wouldn't work out the way you want it to. It's an extremely arduous task. Only a monster can pull it off without making a mistake."

Hearing this, there were expressions of surprise, doubt and shock on their faces. Cold breaths sounded throughout the field. Everyone was completely shocked by the elder's words.

The crowd's attention once again focused on Claude. In their eyes, he was a dark horse that appeared in the group stage.

Who would have imagined that there was such a dark horse within the outer section?